Seven Years After Sieges, Fallujah Struggles

Seven Years After Sieges, Fallujah
Struggles

Many of Fallujah's
buildings that were damaged or destroyed in 2004 remain in
disrepair. (Photo: Dahr Jamail / Al
Jazeera)

Fallujah, Iraq - Fallujah still
bears the scars of war; skeletons continue to be pulled from
the rubble of bombed buildings, and, worse, rates of birth
defects and childhood malformations have
skyrocketed.

There is evidence of reconstruction, but
shortages of electricity and clean water remain prevalent.
The overall mood in the city is one of anger, hopelessness,
and fear.

In April and November of 2004, the United States
military launched two massive military sieges against the
city of Fallujah, located 60km west of Baghdad, due to
on-going resistance there against the occupation.

Doctors
at Fallujah General Hospital told Al Jazeera in 2004 that
736 Iraqis had been killed during the April siege. They said
approximately 60 per cent of the victims were women,
children, and elderly, and told of medical personnel being
fired on by US forces while trying to evacuate the
wounded.

By the end of nearly three weeks of heavy
bombings and a ground invasion in the November siege, more
than 1,000 Iraqis were killed, according to Fallujah
doctors.

"Everything Here Is Bad"

Most
of the residents of the city of 300,000 had been displaced
from their homes at that time, and while most have returned,
thousands remain homeless, unemployed, and struggle to
rebuild their lives.

It is estimated that 70 per cent of
the buildings and homes in Fallujah were damaged or
destroyed, along with at least 100 mosques, 6,000 shops, and
nine government offices.

The Nazzal quarter of Fallujah
bore the brunt of both sieges. Most of the streets were
destroyed by US bombs and tanks. Today, they are dusty dirt
roads strewn with garbage.

It is estimated that
70 per cent of the buildings and houses in Fallujah were
damaged or destroyed, along with at least 100 mosques, 6,000
shops, and at least nine government offices. (Photo: Dahr
Jamail / Al Jazeera)

"We fear what is coming," Yassir
Faisal, who has worked several years as a Reuters cameraman
and lives in Fallujah told Al Jazeera. "Clerics here started
warning people that after the US withdrawal the Iranian
troops may come, and they will be worse than even the
Americans were."

Faisal said that he knows that the Iraqi
resistance that remains in Fallujah are "well prepared and
waiting for what is coming". His warnings may be an ominous
sign of things to come, as more Sunnis are leaving mixed
neighbourhoods in Baghdad to move to places like
Fallujah.

Mahir Khudair, a policeman, told Al Jazeera he
felt things were "good" in the city despite the near-daily
killings that occur.

"Recently in Gharma we had four
policemen killed by an IED [Improvised Explosive Device],"
Khudair said.

Another policeman standing nearby, who spoke
on condition of anonymity, disagreed.

"We are losing two
to three of us each day," he replied to Khudair.

He held
up his hands and asked: "What is good about our situation?
Assassinations and bombings happen all the time, and the
reconstruction is mostly bad!"

Ayad Hadi, a bakery worker,
agreed.

"Everything here is bad," Hadi told Al Jazeera.
"No water, no electricity, no good health care. We have
between 75 and 80 per cent unemployment. Widows have no
rights, no compensation."

Hadi described the mood in the
city as "a general attitude of depression and
hopelessness."

"The government is busy trying to keep
power, and they've forgotten the poor people," he
said.

"We used to have a poor, middle class, and rich
class. But, now, there are only the rich and the poor.
That's why I have no hope for this country or for the
future."

Jassim Fakhri, an 18-year-old student, was 10
years old during the 2004 sieges.

"The last seven years
have been hard," he said. "My family and I fled during the
sieges then returned after. There are no jobs now, so I'm
doing day labour."

Although most of the police in Fallujah
are locals, most of the Iraqi military operating in and
around the city is from southern Iraq.

During the 2004
sieges, Shia militiamen in the Iraqi army fought alongside
the US military. This raised sectarian tensions in the
predominantly Sunni city that continue to this day.

Faisal
explained that, despite its problems, he believes Fallujah
is safer than Baghdad.

"As Sunnis, we consider Fallujah
much safer than Baghdad, but there are still assassinations
of police nearly every day," he said. "We have some people
here in the Dawa party and connected to [Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki] and that's a problem."

Resistance
Continues

Contributing to instability in the city
are armed groups that continue to operate inside and outside
the city.

In 2004 Fallujah became known as the city of
resistance, since for a time it was the only unoccupied
place in Iraq. Residents and resistance fighters fought hard
during the two US sieges to defend their homes and their
cities, causing Fallujah to be seen throughout much of the
region as a symbol of resistance to American hegemony.

A
resistance fighter who asked to be referred to as Ahmed said
his movement is growing in Fallujah. He said it will
continue to launch attacks against the on-going US presence
in Baghdad.

Ahmed, who fought against occupation forces
during both of the US attacks on Fallujah in 2004, said that
resistance continues because "what the Americans left us is
an Iranian occupation".

"We learned not to trust the words
and promises of the Americans," he said. "They say they
left, but have over 10,000 people at their embassy. This
means they have not left our country."

Fallujah residents
are still angry about the on-going lack of adequate
reconstruction, which causes many to remain without clean
drinking water, electricity, and jobs. (Photo: Dahr Jamail /
Al Jazeera)

According to Ahmed, there are several
brigades of 80 fighters each still in Fallujah. He said if
you include the number of intelligence, support, and
logistics members "we have a very large number".

"Right
now, we only operate against the American forces, until they
truly withdraw," he added. "After that, we hope that what
came with the occupation will leave with the occupation,
whether they be Iranian, or politicians. The Iranian
occupation is the child of the American
occupation."

Another fighter, Abu Abdullah, explained that
their groups remain well armed, and have "plenty of
ammunitions" for roadside bombs, and other types of "heavy
artillery".

He, like Ahmed, fought against the Americans
during both Fallujah battles, and says their battle
continues.

‘'No one should be disillusioned that the
resistance has ended or defeated," he said. "They say there
are leaving … we doubt that … but if the Americans don't
leave we will continue fighting them. We will also fight the
Iranian occupation, their supporters, and anyone who helps
them stay in Iraq.''

Reconstruction Falls
Flat

One re-construction project promised in the
wake of the US siege of the city was a new hospital.

The
new Fallujah General Hospital, in the city's Dhubadh
district, was completed in 2008. It is a larger, more modern
version of its former iteration.

Still, this appears to be
an exception to what most residents believe to be a rule of
failed reconstruction projects in the city. Fulfilment of
promises to rebuild destroyed schools, homes, mosques, and
government buildings often remain only promises.

Given how
other projects taken over by Baghdad have largely failed to
be completed, the wastewater treatment plant in Fallujah
looks likely to become yet another symbol of another broken
promise made by US authorities.

In late 2004, US and Iraqi
officials launched a compensation campaign for the
city.

Fawzi Mudhen, deputy head of the reconstruction
committee formed at the time, said the compensation to
residents was "almost fair", though it overlooked the
extensive damage caused to the city's infrastructure.

Of
the $1bn allocated for compensation, Mudhen said half of the
$500m destined to affected homeowners was paid, but only
$100m out of $500m for infrastructure was spent.

Two of
the highlighted reconstruction projects were a water
purification plant and a wastewater treatment project
launched in 2004. Seven years later, the sewage system
remains unfinished and the future of the project is
uncertain.

Despite Baghdad allocating $100m for the city's
reconstruction and $180m for housing compensation, very
little reconstruction can be seen on the streets of
Fallujah.

"The Americans didn't bring us
anything good," Ahmed Hussein, a taxi driver, told Al
Jazeera. "Most of us are jobless, and we are fighting to
make a living."

Barakat Yassin, a day labourer, had his
home destroyed by the US military during the second
siege.

"We have not received help," he explained. "The
Americans kicked us out of our house and took it as a
headquarters, and then they levelled it with bombs when they
left. We are today living in a rented house."

Yassin,
speaking with Al Jazeera as many residents looked on, found
everyone agreeing with his statements as he continued.

"As
a city, we only have two hours of electricity per day, three
if we're lucky," he said as others nodded. "Our water is not
clean. Mostly we drink bottled water."

Another man, who
asked not to be named, added that government security forces
regularly enter Fallujah and "cause problems". Three months
ago, they detained so many people. They raided houses and
claimed they were searching them, but they were just
looting."

Yassin added, "We hope things will improve, but
things only get worse each year."

The wastewater treatment
plant that was promised the city of Fallujah after the April
2004 siege has yet to be completed, and stands as an example
of what angers so many
residents.

*************

Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist, is
the author of "The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to
Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan," (Haymarket Books, 2009), and
"Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches From an Unembedded
Journalist in Occupied Iraq," (Haymarket Books, 2007).
Jamail reported from occupied Iraq for nine months as well
as from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey over the last five
years.

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